Road sign artist Suto: 'I don't want to make something that will be loved by everyone'

Sometimes it might say “Suck Yuh Mum!” in nice cursive. Others “Lockheed Martin” in a skate font, or simply lots of barbed wire. But whatever Suto has painted on top of a road sign, the arrow is always pointing left. What’s behind it? 

Getting hold of the signs is no easy feat – and part of the reason the 28-year-old artist is reluctant for his face to be shared widely. 

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At the beginning, Suto looked out for road signs every time he went to work, having grown fond of them as a material to work with. But when he didn’t come across any for a while, he had to devise a method. 

Google Maps showed where roadworks were, leading him to a website which lists all current and planned roadworks in Central London. From there, Suto plots his night raids. 

“I will take a couple of road signs from somewhere where they’re fixing the water pipes and there’s about 10 road signs showing you where the roadblocks are, when it’s really obvious. So I don’t think it’s causing anyone any harm,” he says. 

“At the start, I was very nervous. Now, broad daylight, I’ll just unclip it and take it. No one really cares, no one bats an eyelid.” 

He adds: “One of the reasons I choose road signs is it kills two birds with one stone: I get free material, because I steal it, and it’s very recognisable.” 

With no graffiti background or formal art training, Suto has been producing art actively for about two-and-a-half years. We meet at Opake’s studio, as he works alongside the older artist producing work for this week’s Big Issue collaboration. 

And in the direction of the road signs lies a nod to his heritage. “I was born and raised here but I’m half Slovak, half Japanese, and I’ve always felt this disconnect from feeling at home here,” he says. 

“They’re always pointing east. Slovakia and Japan are east of the UK. They’re always – it’s cliche – but pointing towards home.” 

Barbed wire, too, fascinates him: “It’s an object that everyone recognises, but its design is not its purpose. Its design is to cut you, tear your clothes, slow you down. But its purpose isn’t to do that. Its purpose is to deter. You’re not even supposed to touch the barbed wire.” 

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But graffiti can be divisive, and Suto’s aim is not to make something digestible by the masses.  

“I think things like this are more of a litmus test, where you throw the chemicals on the paper and it reveals the colours. People might sway in their opinions, but I think most people are set in their opinions. I don’t think you’ll change most people’s opinions that really hate graffiti,” he says. 

“I think there’s a large middle ground of people that have appreciation for street art and high-skilled graffiti, but also sit on the fence in terms of, they don’t like when they see loads of dirty tags and run-down places covered in tacky paint.” 

He adds: “I don’t necessarily want to make something that will be loved by everyone. I would like people to have their own opinion, and I appreciate when certain people don’t like my artwork, but my most important thing is to create something new.” 

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